High paying production jobs in Syracuse, NY with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Syracuse, NY that require no bachelor's degree — a high school diploma, a certificate, or an associate's degree is the typical entry. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in Syracuse, NY run 4.3% below the national average (2024), so a Syracuse, NY salary is worth about 1.04× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order.

Local wage estimates are suppressed more often than state ones — BLS withholds any figure too few local employers report — so an occupation missing here simply has no published local estimate.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find production jobs in Syracuse, NY

OccupationMedian, Syracuse, NY · Employed

1Power Plant Operators$97,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$62,840 – $131,030290
2Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$82,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,160 – $82,530520
3First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$79,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,450 – $128,1201,230
4Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$67,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,850 – $92,530160
5Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$60,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,890 – $80,190190
6Machinists$58,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,670 – $77,600470
7Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$57,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,950 – $69,530100
8Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$57,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,980 – $61,940460
9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$55,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,630 – $75,870430
10Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,510 – $62,130130
11Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$48,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,360 – $66,040330
12Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,740 – $73,6801,300
13Printing Press Operators$48,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,700 – $62,300360
14Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,110 – $61,400160
15Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$47,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,110 – $63,330110
16Dental Laboratory Technicians$47,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,430 – $76,010220
17Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,440 – $84,220320
18Butchers and Meat Cutters$47,170
No formal educational credential
$34,990 – $58,930160
19Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,620 – $64,520430
20Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders$46,080
No formal educational credential
$38,050 – $60,710140
21Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,600 – $58,180320
22Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,020 – $67,7402,220
23Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,240 – $60,270540
24Production Workers, All Other$43,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,240 – $73,830170
25Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,490 – $58,560130
26Helpers--Production Workers$43,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,200 – $49,330230
27Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$42,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,570 – $62,630690
28Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$37,790
No formal educational credential
$32,240 – $50,490110
29Bakers$37,500
No formal educational credential
$32,240 – $50,770390
30Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,540
No formal educational credential
$32,240 – $39,460290
31Food Batchmakers$33,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,280 – $42,080260

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianSyracuse, NY	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Power Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$97,300	$62,840 – $131,030	290
2	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$82,530	$49,160 – $82,530	520
3	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$79,280	$49,450 – $128,120	1,230
4	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$67,430	$54,850 – $92,530	160
5	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,840	$48,890 – $80,190	190
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,650	$38,670 – $77,600	470
7	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,700	$42,950 – $69,530	100
8	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,060	$37,980 – $61,940	460
9	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,660	$44,630 – $75,870	430
10	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,170	$35,510 – $62,130	130
11	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,940	$39,360 – $66,040	330
12	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,760	$37,740 – $73,680	1,300
13	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,510	$37,700 – $62,300	360
14	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,020	$38,110 – $61,400	160
15	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,860	$39,110 – $63,330	110
16	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,510	$37,430 – $76,010	220
17	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,420	$34,440 – $84,220	320
18	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$47,170	$34,990 – $58,930	160
19	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,970	$39,620 – $64,520	430
20	Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and TendersNo formal educational credential	$46,080	$38,050 – $60,710	140
21	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,010	$38,600 – $58,180	320
22	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,900	$34,020 – $67,740	2,220
23	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,080	$32,240 – $60,270	540
24	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,810	$32,240 – $73,830	170
25	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,610	$36,490 – $58,560	130
26	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,370	$34,200 – $49,330	230
27	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,830	$34,570 – $62,630	690
28	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$37,790	$32,240 – $50,490	110
29	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,500	$32,240 – $50,770	390
30	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,540	$32,240 – $39,460	290
31	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$33,330	$32,280 – $42,080	260

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Syracuse, NY. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

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The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Syracuse, NY to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Syracuse, NY with no degree

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